York Pavilion Hotel

STAY WELL AWAY
If you enjoy listening to annoying loud creaking floorboards, secondhand conversations and music through paper thin walls and not having any cell service or WiFi, then this is the hotel for you. It was noisy all night long, way too hot (and no working window), just one towel between two people, the bathroom light didn't work, there was never any connection to WiFi (though in their defense, it was free:) and no cell service. Oh and no parking spaces left even at 5pm. Anywhere else would be better than the York Pavilion - STAY AWAY!!! Also left my charger and called the same day but they never found it, which can only mean their housekeeping staff pocketed it. Definitely a hotel to avoid.

***AVOID THIS HOTEL***

My parents had their wedding at The Pavilion on the 13th August, the ceremony was perfect, as was the food.

However.

The service was atrocious, we were not informed when the hot food had come out, so when everything was ready the hot food was cold and had to be reheated.

We had to find someone to get the champagne poured so a toast could be done.

Several times there was nobody behind the bar.

Dirty plates were left on people's tables and were not cleared away until after the meal had finished and people were leaving.

The chocolate eclairs we had stored in the kitchen fridge in honor of my recently deceased nanna were not brought out until the everyone had eaten.

We had to hunt someone down to find them.

The wedding planner left after everyone had started eating and basically we were left in a room with no staff, no assistance.

We literally had to wander around the hotel looking for someone to get something as simple as a damn knife for the cake.

Truly pathetic service that literally ruined what should have been a wonderful special day for my parents.

One guest is vegan and gluten free and the kitchen had no idea that a special request has being submitted for suitable food for her.

The family will not be recommending the hotel to our friends, in fact we'll be telling people to avoid having events at the Pavilion.

After complaining, my parents were simply offered a free room, which is useless to a couple that already live in the same village as the hotel.

The manager, instead of contacting my parents after I posted the above on their Facebook page, contacted my sister and not my parents.

The hotel management have not been in touch with my parents since my father contacted the hotel 4 days ago.

Best Western head office was contacted 2 days ago, and have not heard anything back.

My parents would like a portion of what they paid, which was £1600 to cater and host 50-60'people.

Avoid this hotel.

The Pavilion is an excellent friendly hotel on one of the main routes into the city of York, The rooms are all tastefully decorated in keeping with the appearance of the building and it's history.


I have viewed several of the different room types from some of the smaller cosy double and twin rooms which were all really nice some with flat screen TV, some with DVD players. THere are also several large, extra special doubles with 4 poster beds and lots of lovely period features.


There are also ground floor rooms available for less mobile guests.


Winning and dining is also available in the hotel with some reall high class food being served in the restaurant and a well stocked, and reasonably priced, hotel bar.

Averagely priced for the standard of accommodation and services on offer I reckon. I'd stay here again and believe there are places likely to be charging the same or more for surroundings of lower quality.


The age of the building (a Grade 11 listed structure)is all part of it's charm with original beams and other features visible at various points throughout. The shower in my en suite was thunderous and the bed very comfortable.


On the negative side the radio stations available on the tv were limited to Radios 1, 4 & 5 and a local station (Minster FM) and service at breakfast, for the ordering of the Full English, was slow (no complaints about the quality of the meal though some apples on offer alongside the fruit segments in juice/syrup would be a good touch). The dining room itself is also too small, with staff having to stand in the corridor at the risk of blocking either the way to Reception or to/from the kitchen and some of the ground and first floor rooms. There was also a false book quite obviously missing from the ornamental bookcase in the lounge.

I could not have been happier with this hotel.
Pros: My room was on the ground floor - I would strongly suggest that if you enjoy gardens! - with a door that opened onto a small but comfortable patio/garden area, complete with resting bench. The food available in the hotel restaurant and bar area was stunning, the quality completely unexpected in an older hotel. From certain vantage points in the bar, you can see a wonderful old tree with a large hole in the center (from age, I'm certain) where some clever person has placed a toy owl. There are several garden areas, and it's good walking around as well. The front staff were tremendously helpful.
Cons: The breakfast is awful. Truly awful, and a huge let down after the wonderful lunches and dinners we'd enjoyed. Must be a different company or chef, because nothing about it was good - the sausage and bacon were not the same as we'd had the day before at other meals, the food choices were uninteresting and uninspired to say the least. Sad, because as noted, the dinner and lunch meals were excellent. Way beyond just good.
Also, two of our rooms (22, 23) had no Internet problems, but every other room couldn't get on line - a total of four. This was a serious problem for business.
The only other note I'll make is that the laundry service is not good. There is NO same day service available, no matter what time you get it in. The next morning service that promises to be there by X time does NOT get there then, and we were told it was because the driver/owner had to wait for the rest of his staff to arrive before he could leave. So if you are counting on this hotel for laundry, do it at another facility.
That being said, the young lady at the front desk went several extra miles to try and get us our laundry before we left, which made up for a lot!
I will be back to this hotel, and to visit York and explore more thoroughly, when I can.